Here’s the recipe for what would later be scaled up to become Dark Star, which would then become Rusty Nail, from Fremont Brewing in Seattle, Washington.
At Seattle’s Floodland Brewing, Adam Paysse pursues a singular vision: to make beers that reflect his preferences and ideals. Turns out, a lot of other people dig them, too.
Aroma: “Piney and dank with a slightly sweaty note. Some lemon, tropical fruit, peach, apricot, light cattiness, and a hint a grainy malt sweetness.” Flavor: “The initial taste was surprising with a sweetness that gets immediately overwhelmed by bitterness. Classic West Coast blend of pine and citrus. Tropical fruit, mango, pine are firm but balanced in the bitterness. Light body with a sweet caramel finish that hangs out and cuts the hops down a tick.” Overall: “It’s not as dry and mouth-wateringly bitter as other west coast IPAs with the touch of lingering sweetness to soften things up. A very pleasant, balanced West Coast IPA. Great classic American hops character.”
Strange, compelling nose: fruit salad, punch bowl, peach, guava, candied mandarin, and dragon fruit get some interference from dankness and sweaty socks. Flavor is less exciting, as bright fruit fights for exposure with dank pine. A bit muddy and flat. Soft mouthfeel.
**Aroma:** “Dark chocolate, vanilla, coconut with a really nice roast character. Good bourbon character with nice oak. Other barrel character emerges as it warms, including dark cherry and alcohol sweetness.” **Flavor:** “Rich dark chocolate with dark cherry and subtle plum esters and a nice wallop of coconut to enhance the experience. The other barrel characters are there as well to provide a round richness. Finishes medium dry with a touch of roast. A decent amount of heat prevents you from forgetting the type of beer your drinking.” **Overall:** “This beer is fantastic. All the pieces fit together very well and the smoothness makes this big, bold beer dangerous. A great beer that does an excellent job blending a solid beer with a quality barrel.”
“Medium oak, dark-roasted malt, sweet alcohol in the aroma. Sweet caramel notes. Medium-sweet initial impression, lightened by alcohol warmth, light hop bitterness. Intricate cherry, bourbon, vanilla flavors.”
Fremont’s audacious approach to fresh-hop brewing produced about 2,500 barrels of the true seasonal last year. Getting 70,000 pounds of fresh hops from field to the brewhouse is no small challenge, but that’s only the start…
“Nose of lime peel, herbs, and a slight savory note—but also zesty, pithy. Nicely rounded flavor—great bittersweet balance, and softness—with that hop flavor emerging as citrus-herbal. Pleasant bittersweet finish. Medium body, with a reassuring weight to it. Easy to drink.”
__Aroma:__ “Bourbon, vanilla, and alcohol at first, and then some light chocolate, roast, and light smoke. There are also some dark caramel notes, malty sweetness, toffee, oak, bourbon, and licorice.” __Flavor:__ “Huge sweet milk chocolate. It’s a dance between the roast and the chocolate, with some malt sweetness. Notes of caramel, coffee as well, and from the barrel, some smoky wood, moderate oak tannins, and vanilla. Black licorice, with raisin, plum, and prunes that come out as if eaten straight from a bowl, supported by the bourbon and malt sweetness.” __Overall:__ “The flavor was unexpectedly great, considering the lightness of the aroma. The chocolate and roast of the base beer stand up well to the barrel and all the sweetness. Definitely drink this beer on the warmer side.”
**Aroma:** “Fruity esters of pear or cherry with some dried fruit, creating a lighter, fruitier, surprisingly fresh aroma for a barrel-aged beer. Barrel aromas of bourbon, light vanilla, oak. Spices include cinnamon, holiday spices, clove, orange, juniper, and pine, with a hint of chile. Chocolate is present, along with some tobacco. Kind of hard to identify the base beer underneath.” **Flavor:** “The sweetness from the base beer helps to balance the spice characters of potpourri and cinnamon spice. The cherry and orange esters dominate, with some vanilla to smooth things out. Roasted barley and caramel, with some chocolate and Tootsie Rolls. There’s quite a bit of alcoholic and chile heat that detracts and helps to accentuate the phenolic and floral characters, putting them a bit over the top. The hops bitterness and roasted malt flavors add a drying finish to an otherwise sweet beer.” **Overall:** “For an in-your-face holiday beer, this is pretty good. The blend of spices and esters works but is subdued, and I really wanted more from the imperial and oak. It is subtle and tasty, even if it is light on the spicy notes. Nice chocolate and vanilla add fullness to the beer.”
**Aroma:** “Some sweet malt and pepper spice-like character. Mild grassy and earthy note of hay and citrus. Muted hops note up front with medium perfume note. As it warmed and opened up that went away, and a big hops grapefruit with slight dank notes came out.” **Flavor:** “Biscuit malt sweetness hits up front and then carries to an earthy spice hops character with some grapefruit and slight citrus notes. Flavor is not what the aroma suggests. Grass is still there, plus some mangoes. Caramel malt body is lovely, but the long bitter finish leaves a lingering harshness on the back of the tongue. Wine-like notes up front with moderate perfume notes.” **Overall:** “The more I drank this beer the more I enjoyed it. It is slightly rough around the edges with the malt and hops but it’s a good American IPA that will neither offend nor impress. It would score higher if the bitterness were smoother.”
From old school to new and from breweries across the country, here are a few of our favorite American pale ales.
Matt Lincecum, founder of Fremont Brewing in Seattle, has a taste for delicate, beautifully constructed beers. He has intentionally packed this dream sixer with a heavy focus on the past decade.
“Citrus, melon, pine, dank, and orange zest—come and get it! The interplay between pine notes and citrus character is accentuated by just enough malt to simultaneously support and complement the bitterness. A bold lupulin statement.”
**Aroma:** “Aromatic, mocha with enough oily dark roast coffee backbone to evoke thoughts of breakfast. Fruity with raisins and cherry. Plenty of caramel and sweet malt, too. Slight alcohol in the background.” **Flavor:** “The flavor follows up on everything the aroma suggested—rich, sweet, chocolate coffee but adds in a hoppy bitterness that supports the roasty edge. While the bitterness lingers into finish with a light acidity, it’s still fairly smooth. Just enough alcohol to feel appropriate for the style.” **Overall:** “Rich chocolate notes with a very dry finish. Big desert beer with a bitter finish. Lots of sweet chocolate flavor, dark cocoa, some dark dried fruit. Alcohol level is well balanced by the solid malt body and touch of sweetness.”
**Aroma:** “A forward barrel character that is melded with some nice dark malt characters and light esters. Vanilla, coconut, oak, light roast, caramel, and dark cherry. Sweet chocolate malt carries through the nose. Touch of red wine notes, moderate bourbon. Lots of chocolate.” **Flavor:** “Like an imperial stout, but with less roast barley character. Big bourbon, rich dark chocolate. Apparent bitterness is only there to support the malt. The strong vanilla and roasted coconut work perfectly with the sweet biscuit and rich caramel. The alcohol warmth is nice and not overpowering.” **Overall:** “An incredibly smooth, bourbon-barrel-dominated strong ale that could easily pass for an imperial stout. Coconut and vanilla are excellent expressions of the barrel and complement the rich roast and chocolate backbone delightfully.”
“Toffee aroma with hints of vanilla, caramel, raisin, chocolate, and apple. The flavor blast of brown sugar and caramel quickly melts into a complex blend of toffee, coffee, vanilla, crème brûlée, and spiced-rum.”
__Aroma:__ “A heavy vanilla defines the nose. Notes of burnt malt, fig, chocolate, dark stone fruits, a touch of raisin, toffee/caramel, and coconut are present as well. The barrel character is strong and wonderfully inviting.” __Flavor:__ “Sweetness is present up front, with burned roastiness and some dark fruits (raisin and plums) that follow. It’s a beautiful blend of chocolate, vanilla, coconut, roast, dark cherry, and molasses, with light coffee notes that add complexity. A nice blend of a bourbon-barrel character, with spice and booziness.” __Overall:__ “Well-rounded, blended beautifully, deeply complex, and distinctly unique. This beer takes the familiar barrel-aged stout dark fruit flavors and sweetness, braces them with perfectly placed roast, and wraps them in a warm envelope of bourbon. Delicious.”
**Aroma:** “Thick mocha shake—creamy coffee-chocolate combo with a nice spicy alcohol nose. Moderate roast and plum, touch of cherry. Perhaps a touch of cinnamon.” **Flavor:** “Moderate dark chocolate with a lighter body than expected. High coffee notes with an earthy, peppery note. Light vanilla note toward the end of the sip. High carbonation doesn’t create a bite but perhaps masks a slight alcohol note. Slightly smoky and touch of cinnamon, notes of nutmeg, smooth warming alcohol with a bit of spice. Good oak woodiness without going too tannic. Finishes medium-dry with a touch of heat and carb bite.” **Overall:** “This imperial stout has a big earthy/woodsy barrel character. It’s lighter than expected with a coffee/chocolate-forward note. Alcohol warming but not hot. Nice mocha flavor, big and smooth. A well made coffee beer. Everything comes together nicely.”
“Fun aroma that hits some more classic C-hop notes—pine, kind bud, grapefruit—given a lift by sweeter candied fruits. On the palate, the malt sweetness draws out ethereal orange-juice qualities that dissipate into a dry, slightly resinous finish. It’s brusque, but the memory of that juicy hit is enough to send you back for another.”